Sirens and Lights
by Puddleduck101
Summary: When Janeway and her crew are attacked by an unknown enemy, it turns into a dangerous game of cat and mouse...and Voyager is the mouse!
1. Cyger

The Cryger are a fearsome race, with armoured ships that have cloaking devices that even the best technology wouldn't be able to pick up. It is said that their females are very similar to mythical creatures from earth called sirens. They use their enchanting singing and breathtaking beauty to lure me their deaths. And their males; Oh, their males are something to be feared. They are the best in any battle. And not because of their talent. Oh no! It is because they are the best cheaters. They fight to the death and have no honour. As long as they remain alive. There was one time…..

"Neelix, I think that's enough for now" Harry Kim intruded. Neelix looked up at the Ensign, who held a coffee in one hand and a bowl of chicken noodle soup in the other. He then looked back at the person across the table to him. Naomi Wildman's face was pale, her mouth agape and her eyes were huge.

"Oh, uh, yes." He stuttered a the young girl. She was never scared of his stories, but perhaps this story was going a little too far. "I think you've heard enough for one night."  
"NO!" Cried Naomi, snapping out of it. "Go on Neelix, Im brave" Neelix smiled.

"Now now, your mother gets off her shift in a minute and wouldn't it be nice if you were in your quarters waiting for her when she got there?" he said. The girl thought about it for a second then nodded. She hugged her godfather goodbye, shot a beaming smile at the tall Ensign and skipped out of the mess hall.

"Now, isn't she growing up fast" Neelix murmured to Harry, who sat in the newly vacated seat.

"She wouldn't HAVE to grow up so quickly if you stopped telling her such frightening bedtime stories" replied Harry. He took a large mouthful of the soup and let the flavours sink in before swallowing to continue. "But I am older, and I am curious. Are the stories true?"

"I have no idea, Mr. Kim" came the answer "I have never come across one in my travels, but know of many people I have done trades with who claim to see these people. Of course we call them all sorts of names…" he paused when he was the curious expression on Harry's face, "none of which I ever said or know" he added quickly. Harry smirked and took another gulp of his soup.

Neelix watch him eat as he gathered his thoughts. After a long while he spoke up again. "though come to mention it…only female's ever talk about the female Cryger, which would fit if all the men were killed by them. And I remember one of the women telling me about them who used to have a husband. But she said it was a terrible mining accident. Though come to mention it….." his words trailed off and the verbal gibbering dissolved once more into thoughts.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXX

"Harry, my dear friend, you are too gullible. You mean you're CHOOSING to listen to Neelix's disturbing children stories?" Laughed Tom Paris, on their way to their duty shift on the bridge. "Please don't tell me you're truly believing those stories?"

"I never said I believed them, I asked if you had heard of them" corrected Kim, who walked with his head down. They reached the turbolift and they both walked in. "Deck one"

"Oh Harry" Kim heard his best friend say, and he fought the urge to roll his eyes. "you can't listen to everything Neelix says. Honestly, I think we left the part of space Neelix knows all about ages ago"

The turbo doors opened to reveal the bridge of the intrepid class starship. He saw the familiar sights around him. He saw the back of the Captain's head, her hair curled into her usual bob. He saw Chakotay leaning over between the gap in the chairs to mutter something to her. It was obviously something amusing, because Janeway threw head back and laughed heartily. The two men walked out the lift and walked to their respective stations. Paris walked and relieved the exhausted Lieutenant at the conn. After a few moments worth of handover over ship handling, the woman excused herself and walked off the bridge.

For many hours there was sporadic chit chat, someone occasionally asking to tactical advice, or informing the appropriate people of developments. However, other than that, it was a pretty quiet shift. When Paris was relieved at 2200hours, the Captain had just retired to her ready room and Tuvok passed him, about to begin his shift. He nodded his head respectfully just as the doors closed.


	2. Screech, squeals and nails

Janeway sighed and stretched her legs out, running the heel of her hand across her thighs. She was overtired, over worked and stressed. She had two reports to read, and as much as she had the d highest respect for her old friend, Tuvoks reports were dry , exact and nothing like the inspired fiction she loved to read. Deciding she needed a break from her duties, she stood up and walked over to her trusty replicator. And, after her usual momentary hesitation (her and replicators never fully got along) ordered a black coffee. She watched as a clear mug full of steaming hot brown liquid materialised, picked it up and turned back around. She was just about to take a sip when the most horrific sound filled the ready room. Without thinking, Kathryn dropped her coffee and placed her hands over her ears, crying out in pain. It was a squeal? It was nails down a chalkboard? It was the sound of thousands of bulkheads rubbing together? Whatever it was, it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up on end. She stumbled to the door of her ready room, kicking aside her mug that lay on the floor and walked out onto the bridge. 3 other female officers had their hands over their ears, tears forming in their eyes and wincing in pain. However, and Janeway froze with concern and…fear the men in the room sat up, and seemed to be listening intently. They're eyes had glased over and, as Janeway scanned the room with her eyes, she saw Harry Kim standing with him mouth slightly agape.

Putting aside her own discomfort, she stood up straight and walked straight for Chakotay, who sat in his chair, frozen….listening. She knelt in from of him and looked him straight in the eyes. He didn't acknowledge her at all, and just continued staring into nothingness. She sighed and stood up, placed one hand on her hip and rubbed the bridge of her nose with the other. She spent the next few minutes going around to the rest of the men in the room, trying to find any way to break them out of their stupor. The noised continued to send shivers down her spine, and make her teeth chatter but she ignored it.  
_"Torres to Janeway"_ came a voice from the combadge. Janeway stood up from studying Tuvok and tapped her badge.

"Go ahead"

_"Captain, there seems to be something going on down here. There's this noise…..i can't seem to find out where its coming from….and the men…"_

"The same thing is happening here lieutenant. I don't know what the hell is going on" Janeway replied.

_"Its got something to do with the noise. All the men seem entranced by it…" _Toress haltered

"…while it hurts the hell outta us" Janeway finished. She thought for a moment "Toress, I need you to stay in Engineering. Get all the female crew members you can on duty with you and I'll do the same. Lets see how long we can hold off. Oh, and alert the doctor"

_"Acknowledged"_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

An hour later, the bridge was once again in action, this time with a room full of wincing females with replicate earbuds in their ears (an idea from the Doc). The men were taken to Sickbay as per the doctors request. Maybe he could get some answers.

"Get us out of here, crewman, warp six" Janeway yelled to be heard. The woman nodded, acknowledging her orders and drove voyager away. She sat back in her chair. That screeching noise continued on, getting more and more disturbing. A headache was rising and she could feel it. She felt the back of her head start the throb slightly. She sighed, rubbed the bridge of her nose again and closed her eyes.

_"Sickbay to the Bridge" _The combadge on her chest burst into light again, and although it was muffled, she could distinctly heard Doctors voice. Janeway sighed mentally, thinking that if she decided to remain silent, that he would just go away.

"What is it, Doc? Do you have any news for me?" She replied.

"_You could say that…" _Doc's voice faltered, as if choosing his words carefully. _"The men are back to life."_ Janeway sighed in relief.

"Is there any way of knowing what happened to them? Can I talk to Chakotay?" She asked.

_"Well, I don't think you'll have much choice. He's coming to you" _And with that the combadge went silent. The captain stood up and prepared to leave the bridge when the turbolift doors opened and Three men walked through the doors. Chakotay charged through the doors, with Paris and Kim hot on his heels. Tom walked straight to the helm, pushed aside the young crewman and laid in a new course. Kim walked to his station, his usually young curious-filled face hard like stone.

"What the hell is going on here" Janeway demanded as she spun to watch the two men. By the time she turned to face Chakotay, there was a phaser pointer straight between her eyes


	3. Command codes, Cargo bays and storys

Her eyes grew large in shock, hurt and surprise but the phaser never faltered. Chakotay led the Captain towards her chair again, backwards until finally she fell into it. He then turned on his heel and walked to Tom, who was sat at the conn and using a foot to keep the young female crewman on the floor. Chakotay picked the young girl up by the back of her neck and stood her on her feet, led her to the turbolift with a phaser in her back and shoved her inside

"There is someone waiting for you at the door of deck 4, the turbolift is set to my voice command. He will take you to cargo bay 2" He said to the young girl before the doors snapped closed. Janeway, who has listened in, took the chance and stood up from the seat she was placed in. Immediately, the phaser swung around and was once again aimed at her.

'_Well, at least when its aimed at me, its not aimed at anyone else.' _She thought to her herself as ever other female crewmembers were escorted from the bridge and into the set turbolift. And while Janeway readied herself to join her crew in cargo bay 2, It never happened. When she was the only female in the bridge, Chakotay seemed to be satisfied with this and carry on with his plan _'Whatever that is' _Janeway said. She decided it was a good time as any to pry for information.

"What the hell are you doing? Where are you taking us?" She demanded, walking towards Chakotay, who backhanded her with one foul swoop. Her cheek erupted with pain but she kept her poker face and didn't react to it. Chakotay leaned forward and wrenched the earbuds from her ears and whispered into it.

"We're going back. Back to those women. They need us. They need our help. They want us." He turned to Tome for support who nodded feverishly and continued working. Janeway felt the ship slow down and conduct a massive U-turn before journeying back.

"This is outrageous. Who needs you?" Janeway said, more concerned than angry now. Chakotay wasn't acting himself and rather than a mutiny (which did cross her mind for a split second) or an Alien take over (which she pondered over longer) It as actually Chakotay. Just….influenced. She had to figure out exactly what was going on, and who was doing what to her crew.

It was Harry who replied; "I'm sorry, Captain, but they need us. They are calling us"

"_Engineering to the Bridge, we are getting a little resistance around here" _Came a voice. Chakotay, who was bent over a console, stood up and tapped his combadge

"Tell the women that if they put up any more resistance, we'll kill their Captain" he said. Janeway's eyes bulged again, and she gave her old friend a filthy look.

"It's nothing against you, Ma'am" said Tom, swinging his chair around to face her, "We don't want to hurt anyone. We just can't let these girls wait any longer."

"Why am I still here? Janeway said, more to Tom than to anyone else. He seemed to be the only one who gave her any answers. "Why haven't I been taken to the cargo bay like the rest?"

"Oh, you will, Captain. Just after you transfer all command codes to me" Chakotay answered

"Over my dead body" came her reply. Chakotay smiled, and looked over to Kim. After a quick nod, Kim left his post and came back moments later with Naomi Wildman, who was kicking and screaming and punching at the ensign.

"It isn't your dead body you need to worry about" Chakotay whispered, so the little girl wouldn't hear. Janeway didn't think twice and within minutes, she had told the computer to give command codes to Chakotay, Naomi was safely in her arms and the two of them were being led down to the cargo bay.

"Do we know what is going on here?" Torres said as soon as she saw her Captain enter the room, holding Little Wildman's hand.

"Not much" Janeway said, making herself comfortable by sitting against the wall leaning against it. "What can everyone else tell me?"

"I have nothing" Torres said, "The boys just stopped replying one minute, went to sickbay, then suddenly Lt Baxter walks in and fires a warning shot next to me and orders us to come here"

"Well, ever since that noise, we've had trouble with the boys. They are all being influenced somehow. Paris, Kim and Chakotay seemed to ramble about some 'girls' in trouble."

"There has been no distress signals" Spoke up a young ensign who had been listening in. She seemed to lose her initial confidence because she averted eye contact quickly and looked away sheepishly. Janeway noticed and smiled warmly back at her

"Thank you Ensign. So the only thing that seems to be linking these together is that strange sound we all heard, though I'm thinking the men on board were listening to a different sound. If only we… "

"Cygers!" came a small voice from below Janeway. She looked down to Naomi. She smiled back up at her. Janeway adjusted her sitting position to face the young girl head on. Janeway had become like an Aunt to this girl, but also like a grandmother, Captain, teacher and friend. Although she had always kept her distance, she always felt close to young Miss Wildman.

"What is it, Naomi?"

"A story Neelix told me the other night. He told me a story about this race of people. A species that had females who would make men come to them so they could hurt them. And the men of the species were scary warriors." She explained, seeming proud to have remembered such a story. Janeway beamed at her and stood up.

"Right, we have an idea, and quite frankly it's the best idea we've had so far. Torres, see what you can do about getting more knowledge. Ask all the crew. Try not to draw attention to ourselves. I'm going to see if I can sneak through and gain control of the bridge again. There's a crawlspace down the back of the room, knowing Chakotay he would have sealed it off but I'll se what I can do."

She stopped, stood up and placed her hands on her hips, showing confidence and hiding her fear.

"It's time to take back this ship!"


End file.
